O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Has $8.46 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 149,114 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,856 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $8,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $59.58 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.59 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $57.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.17.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment engages in the sale of hair care products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling; skin care products including face, hand, and body moisturizer; and prestige beauty and health & wellbeing products consist of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.